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Tocchett returns to the bench as Coyotes host Blue Jackets

Feb 7, 2008 - 2:27 PM Columbus (25-23-7) at Phoenix (28-22-4) 9:00 pm EST

GLENDALE, Arizona (Ticker) - The Phoenix Coyotes are one of the most surprising teams in the NHL this season, and they are about to get some help behind the bench.

Assistant coach Rick Tocchet will return to the bench Thursday after serving a two-year suspension when the Coyotes host the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Tocchet has been on an indefinite leave of absence since February 2006, when it was revealed he partnered with a New Jersey state trooper and another man in a sports betting venture they ran for five years.

He was sentenced by a New Jersey court to two years' probation in August.

"I'm happy to be back in the NHL," Tocchet said at a news conference Wednesday. "This is a game I love and it's been quite an ordeal. It's been a tough time for me since this all went down two years ago. I miss the smell of the rink and can't wait to get back.

"The league did a great job of investigating the facts of the case. Saying that, I made a mistake and paid a heavy price, getting involved in gambling. I hurt my family, my team and the league."

Tocchet will be joining a team has gone from the worst in the Western Conference last season to the cusp of playoff contention. The Coyotes currently sit one point behind Colorado (28-21-5) and Nashville (28-21-5) for the final playoff spot in the West despite suffering a 4-3 shootout loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Peter Mueller notched a hat trick in a setback and has four goals over the past two games.

The Blue Jackets are three points shy of Phoenix in the standings and have lost four games in a row. Columbus has yielded four goals in each of the setbacks, including a 4-3 overtime loss against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

Columbus backup goaltender Fredrik Norrena is expected to start in place of Pascal Leclaire, who is nursing a sprained neck suffered in Tuesday's game.

The Blue Jackets won the first two meetings of the season between the teams, but the Coyotes earned a 4-2 victory in the latest matchup on January 29 behind two goals from Mueller.